Automobile-heater.



R. A. BAiLEY.

AUTOMOBILE HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.26, I913.

l 173,637, Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

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AUTOMOBILE HEATER. 7

APPLICATION FILED NOV.26. 1913. 1,173,637. Patented Feb.29,191(i.

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REGINALD A. BAILEY, OF NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTQMOBILE-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Application filed November 26, 1913. Serial No. 803,216.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, REGINALD A. BAILEY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Automobile-Heater, of which the following is a specification.

Wly invention relates to apparatus for- .a heater of novel construction having imroved means whereby the efiiciency of the lieating apparatus is increased and a circulation of the heated air isestablished and maintained through the air chamber of the heating apparatus.

Another object of my invention is to pro- 7 vide an automobile heater having improved means whereby the-interior of the airchamher is readily cleaned, and the removal of mud and dirt from the air chamber of the heater is facilitated.

A further object of'this invention is to provide an automobile heating apparatus havin improved means for regulating and contro ing the flow of heated gases into and throng the gas chamber of the apparatus.

Still'further objects of the invention will i become apparent hereinafter as the invention islmore fully described injthe specification and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing an automobile having a heater mounted or secured thereon as constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus of .Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan'on a larger scale, of

the heater shown in Figs. 1 and 2. F ig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of the heater forming a novel 'part of this invention. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of the box forming the 7 is a detail plan showing the construction of the valve operating mechanism. i Fig. 8

is'a' sectional end elevation showing the manner of securing the hinged cover plateto the open uppermost side of the air chamber of the heater. Fig. 9 is a plan of the hinged cover plate for the air chamber of the heater. 1. v

I In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 2 designates an automobile having a heater 3 secured in the bottomor floor of the automobile body. The heater 3 comprises an air chamb r .4 and a tubular gas chamber'5, the iniet pipe 6 leading to'the chamber :5 being connected to the engine exhaust pipe 7 at a point between the exhaust ports of the engine'8 and the mufiier 9 on the end of the exhaust pipe 7. a

As will be seen by reference to Figs. 3', 4, 5 and.6, the air chamber 4 consists of a sheet metal-box havihg vertical ends and vertical sides connected by an integrally formed semi-cylindrical bottom and having an open top side, the top side of the chamber 4 having outwardly projecting flanged edges 4 to which a perforated top cover plate 10 is secured by hinges 11 and securing thumb bolts "12. The cover plate 10 is provided with a series of perforations so as to permit, the'heated air to rise upwardly in the air chamber '4 and pass through the perforations into the interior of the automobile 2. The heater is positioned in the automobile so as to bring the cover plate flush with the upper surface of the floor 2 of the automobile. An air pipe 29 connects by its upper end intozths automobile body, and its lower end opens into the bottom of the air chamber 4, this pipe serving to supply air to the bottom of the chamber 4 and create a circulation through the automobile body, pipe 29 and air heating chamber 4.

Suspended within the air chamberzi is the tubular gas chamber 5., the straps 13, 13,

fastened to'the sides of the air chamber4 being employed to maintain the tubular gas chamber 5 axially central therein. and the removable straps 14, 14, serving to detachably fasten the chamber 6 in place 0n the.

straps 13.

Secured in the tubular gas chamber 5, at intervals in the length thereof, is a series of transversely, and preferably vertically,

extending air tubes 15. these tubes having ends opening into the air chamber 4, and positioned in the chamber 5 between at least part of the transversely extending tubes15,

which are staggered with relation .to the axial center of the chamber 5, are baflies 16, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 4.

The baflies 16 have a series of flanges 17 on the peripheries thereof, which normally spring outwardly into close engagement with the wall of the gas chamber 5 so as to assist in maintaining the bafiies in position in the chamber, and a series of recesses or slots 17 are formed on the periphery of the battles between the flanges 16 to provide a series of passages through which the heated gases flow from one side to the other of the baffles 16 in passing through the gas chamber 5. The exhaust end of the tubular gas chamber 5 is provided with an exhaust pipe 18 which projects through the end of the air chamber 4 and-discharges into the atmosphere, and the inlet pipe 7 on the inlet end of the gas chamber 5 is provided with a valve19 located inside the air chamber and preferably of the butterfly type, by which the supply of heatedexhaust gases to the chamber 5 is regulated and controlled. The valve 19 has an upwardly projecting stem 20 and on the end of this stem is an operating lever'21 havinga slotted outer end.

The hinged cover plate or lid 10 onithe upper side of the air chamber 4 has a transverse slot 22 in one end thereof, and extending through this slot is a button-headed pin or bolt 23. The shank of the pin 23 is screw threaded and a nut 23 thereon forms a convenient means for securing the pin in position while permitting it to be moved manually from end to end of the slot 22.

The lower end of the pin 23 projects downwardly-into the slot in the end of the valve lever 21 when the cover plate is in closed position, so as to be operatively connected to the lever 17 on the stem of the butterfly valve 16 and cause the valve 19 to open and close by sliding the button-headed pin 23 in the slot 22.

When the fastening bolts 12 aie removed andthe cover plate 10 is swung backwardly on its hinges, the pin 23. is lifted out of the slot in the lever 21 which remains in fixed position on the cover plate. so thatwvhen the curved door or cover plate 25. The ends of this cover plate 25 enter the guide slots 26, 26, formed in the chamber-'4 at the ends of the opening 24, and the plate has a lip 25 on one side edge which overlaps the adjacent edge of the opening 24 in the chamber bottom when the cover plate is in closed position. Fastened to the opposite side edge of the cover plate 25 are straps 27 which extend upwardly Within the chamber 4' and have hooked upper ends 28 by which the cover plate 25 is moved from the interior of the automobile in opening and closing the opening 24 so as to permit of removal of accumulations of mud or dirt from the air chamber 4.

In the operation of my improved apparatus, which is intended for use in cold weather, the parts are assembled as shown. When it is desired to use the heater, the valve 19 is opened to the desired extent by manually moving the button-headed heater. A part of the heated exhaust gases ordinarily passing through the exhaust pipe '7 into and through the muffier 9 and into the atmosphere will then pass through the gas chamber 5 of the heater, and in passing through the gas chamber will heat the surrounding air in the air chamber 5.

Owing to the currents of air passing through the transversely extending tubes 15 in the gas chamber 5, by which the heating surface of the gas chamber is materially increased without increasing the diameter or length of the heater, the" heating effect is greatly increased. The heated air rises upwardly in the air chamber, as'well as pin 23 in the slot 22 of the cover plate 10 of the through the open ended circulating tubes 15, and, passing through the perforations in the cover plate 10, emerge. into and'heat the interior of the automobile body.

B closing the valve 19 on the inlet pipe leading to the gas chamber of the heater, the

' heater is rendered inoperative, and in such tom of the box by means of the hooks 28 on the upper ends of the straps 27 to uncover the opening 24, the dirt collected in thebox will be discharged therefrom. The cover plate 25 is then moved into its closing position and the hinged coverplate 10 is again secured in closed position, in which it remains until it is again desirable or necessary to inspect or clean the interior of the air chamber.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. By the use of the transversely extending tubes in the gas chamber of the heating apparatus, the heating surface of the apparatus is materiallv increased the circulation of the air is made more effective, and the operation and control of the apparatus are simplified.

By providing the cleaning opening in the bottom of the heater, cleaning of the apparatus is more readily accomplished and cleaning thereof from within the automobile is made possible.

The use of the slotted valve lever and button-headed valve operating pin aflords ready means for detachably connecting the valve lever in the interior of the heater and permits of its operation from the outside of the closed heater.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement ofthe parts may be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims. a

I claim v 1. An automobile heater comprising a hollow gas chamber, an air chamber surrounding the gas chamber having anopen top side, a hinged cover plate for said open top side having perforations therein opening into the interior of the automobile, a transversely extending slot in said cover plate,

means "for conducting heated waste gases from the automobile engine through the gas chamber, a valve for controlling the flow of heated gases into the gas chamber having a slotted operating lever, and 'a pin slidingly fastened in the slot of the cover plate and projecting into the slot in said valve lever to. operatively connect the valve with the exterior of the air chamber.

2. An automobile heater comprising a.

hollow gas chamber, an air chamber surrounding the gas chamber having an open rend in the plane of the floor of the automoopening, straps extending upwardly within the air chamber having hooked upper ends, for opening and closing the cleaning opening from the interior of the automobile when the hinged cover plate is open. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto setmy hand.

REGINALD A. BAILEY. Witnesses:

J. L; TREFALLEN, Jr., R. D. LITTLE. 

